Gnome Week: Day 6

Gnome Saying of the Day:  "Schmidt's Garden Center...we gnome the garden business"  -Schmidt's Gnomes

Gnome of the Day:  Shiitake

This gnome's name is Shiitake.  I don't know if his mother knew he would end up loving mushrooms when he grew up or if its pure coincidence but this fellow has only one thing one his mind: mushrooms.  He spends most of his day in search of the fungi.  He eats them with every meal in soups, salads, omelets, on toast and on slug kabobs.  But he's not selfish, he likes to share his findings with the other gnomes that live in the yard.  Right now he has just come back from a long day in the neighborhood and is catching the last few rays before the sun goes down.

Shiitake the Gnome

Gnome Lesson of the Day: A trip through Schmidt's memory lane and some of the gnomes that have appeared in our emails in the past.

The gnome invasion of Schmidt's has become worse than we thought.  At first we assumed we could lessen the problem by putting them on sale or putting them to work in the greenhouse.  But I've realized that they've not only colonized the store but they've also taken over our emails!  They started appearing last holiday season when the elves took over the store and made a mockery of the gnomes.  Since then, the gnomes have appeared more and more in our emails and now they have an entire week devoted to them.  I didn't know we were making the problem worse until now.  Soon they will be calling in their cousins and other relatives to come visit and take residence at our store.  If that happens we will be wall to wall  gnomes and we won't have any room for any other merchandise.  I hope it never gets that bad.  

For now, here are some photos of gnomes that have appeared in past emails.

 As mentioned yesterday, this gnome was tied to a tree by an elf while the elves took over the store and decorated for the holidays.

 

This is a never before scene photo of last years staff party.  We usually come to staff events dressed as silly as possible.  This year we had a poor helpless gnome (me) being dragged around my Miss Clause and her elf assistant.  I had to sit through dinner tied up all night while everyone "helped" by putting food items just outside my reach while I struggled to free myself.

 Brandy is trying out a new method to remove gnomes with a fly swatter. 

 This gnome had no sense of humor and threatened to call the authorities for gnome mistreatment.  We only wanted him to hold a few bags of daffodil bulbs.  What a drama queen.

This was our Civil War add for the OSU vs U of O football game in 2010

Gnome Week: Day 5

Gnome Saying of the Day:   "Look around you. There are many things to see, that some would say could never be. These things I know. It's true and I will tell you so. They are there to see, if you believe. Trolls and wizards and fairy kings, birds that talk and fish that sing. And if your heart is true, then you will find them, too. In every wish and dream and happy home, you will find a kingdom of the Gnomes. "  Excerpt from David the Gnome

Gnome of the Day:  Mannheim

I know what you're thinking, "isn't that the Travelocity gnome?"  In fact this is his distant cousin Mannheim "Manny"  who is also a travel expert.  Manny is the Roaming gnome's cousin from Germany.  Once and a while he will be a stand in for his cousin on the Travelocity commercials.  He is much shorter than his cousin in real life but on the TV screen, height doesn't matter much.  One day he would like to host his own traveling show about the gardens he has visited around the world.  Right now he is living in my backyard but he won't be here for long.  Every few months he packs up his things and hitch hikes to a new location he hasn't explored yet.  He mentioned to me that he wanted head back to Germany next month to visit his parents.  The last time he was home was 63 year ago. 

 Here he is practicing his TV hosting skills to prepare for his own show one day

He is using the bird feeder as a backdrop for a scene he is rehearsing for a clip of Aspen, Colorado

Gnome Lesson of the Day:  Famous Gnomes through History

Lampy: Lampy was created in the mid-1800's by Phillip Griebel, the original gnome sculpture of Germany. The popularity of gnomes spread in 1847 when Sir Charles Isham brought 21 of these gnome sculptures back to his home in England.  After Sir Isham's death his daughters, who were not a fan of the garden art, smashed every gnome they found.  Lampy was the only one to survive and is now on display and insured for one million pounds.

This is a song clip from Pink Floyd and the song, The Gnome

 In Harry Potter, wizards found garden gnomes to be a pest.  The Weasley household decorated one unfortunate gnome in a tutu and used it as an angel on top of their Christmas tree.  Pictured above on the left is an illustration of the gnome in the book.  On the right is the Schmidt's version that appeared in our newsletter last Christmas when the elves took over the store.

The travel website Travelocity has their own Roaming Gnome which helps customers book flights and hotels. Here is a cute clip from one of their commercials.

Eugene has come up with their own gnomes.  The Naked Gnome was on the cover of the Eugene Weekly 2010 Earth Day newspaper edition.  Eugene also brews a winter ale beer titled the ill tempered gnome.

February 2011, the Touchstone Pictures movie Gnomeo and Juliet put gnomes front and center of the public eye

Gnome Week: Day 4

Schmidt's Update:  Its only been one day since the new shipment of gnomes have arrived and they've already colonized every nook and cranny of the store.

They're in our Valentine's Day display

Swinging from our bulb boxes

Hiding in our pottery

Stuck in bird feeders

and lounging in our gift areas

If we don't do something soon they will be swinging like Tarzan from our roof!  Please come save us from all these gnomes!

Gnome Saying of the Day: "Oh Gnomeo, oh Gnomeo, are we really doomed to never see each other again? Why must you wear a blue hat? Why couldn't it be red like my father's? Or green like a leprechaun? Or purple like, um... like, uh... like some weird guy? I mean, what's in a Gnome? Because you're blue my father sees red, and because I'm red, I'm feeling blue."  Juliet, from Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnome of the Day:  J. Sparrow
This little guy is one of the many that have been invading the store.  I took him home in hopes that I would be thinning the gnome population at the store.  I didn't know what a handful he would be.  I think he's been watching Pirates of the Caribbean too many times.  Not only is his name J. (Jack) Sparrow, but he's always getting into trouble, and always climbing in and out of things.  First, he was climbing out of the top window of the gnome house during the gnome village photo shoot.  Then when I brought him home he went straight for the little fence that separates the daffodils from the lawn.  I wish he would would wear a helmet at least but he said it would be undignified to take off his pointy hat!  Gnomes!

I'm not sure what he thinks he will find once he climbs over the fence.  Maybe he plans to climb the wall and sneak into the window and invade the house.  I'll have to make sure I gnome proof my house.  Its one thing to have them in the garden, but I don't want gnomes sleeping in the bed at night.

Gnome Lesson of the Day:  Diet

I have gathered a list of food and drinks that gnomes usually eat as part of their natural diet.  Some items on the list are from research and others are of the Schmidt's imagination.

mushrooms
sunflowers and other seeds
fresh veggies they both grow and "borrow"
fruit- they use a ladder and pulley system to get fruit out of trees
berries
potatoes, potato chips and fries
nuts that squirrels trade to them
peanuts
nasturtiums, pansies and other edible flowers
radishes, carrots
seed sprouts
honey
maple syrup for those that live in Vermont
In the winter they make snow cones with fruit juice
They drink herbal tea, juices and beer
They sometimes eat mosquitos and bread (not together though)
They do not eat animal products, worms, fish, or eggs

Gnomes are considered vegetarians for the most part.  But they do find slugs quite delicious.  They also relax with a gnome sized glass of beer.  Gnomes are quite clever and have discovered by using beer slug traps that they can make beer battered slug kabobs. 

This gnome is demonstrating how to lure slugs into his trap. 

An ordinary slug trap

 A bottle of beer

 Fill the slug trap with the beer (looks like he chose a fruity flavor)

 Wait patiently with a spear in hand, which also doubles as a kabob stick.  It looks to me like he's been drinking some of that beer while he waits.  He looks a little giddy to me.

And there you go, a gnome slug trap

Note: no actual slugs were harmed during this photo shoot...at least while I was watching

Gnome Week: Day 3

To start out, the premiere of Gnomeo and Juliet came out last night and it did not disappoint.  I arrived an  hour early to save us ten seats.  I was the only person in the theater for the first 3/4 of the hour.

 This is what the Schmidt's camp at the theater looked like

This is us after the movie in our 3-D glasses.  We had a blast at the movies.  I won't spoil it for you but the story line stayed pretty true to the original story of Romeo and Juliet.  They kept most of the main characters of the play and added some new faces.  It was also fun to pick out the voices of characters.  One of my favorites was Dolly Parton's character.  That's right, Dolly Parton was a gnome.

Gnome Quote of the Day:  "Gnome body gnomes the trouble I've seen"

Gnome of the Day:  Gunter

If this slightly chunky looking fellow looks like he just ate a very large meal, that would be because he was caught stealing food from the house.  I came home from work to find a trail of blueberry juice from the fridge...with the door left wide open...through the living room and outside to the back porch area.  There were blue berry finger prints all over the glass door.  Gunter loves to eat and loves fruit.  He must listen at the glass door for when new groceries arrive and then sneak in at night to eat the fruit and other goods from the store.  I've also notices that the dried cranberry treats for the bunnies have been disappearing at a faster and faster rate.  I keep telling him he needs to start taking better care of himself but its no use, he thinks he will live forever, well at least 400 years like the other gnomes.

He's so full he can't move from the deck

Gnome Lesson of the Day:  Lady Gnomes

The women folk are very shy and stick their own kind.  That's why it is rare to see a lady gnome, more so than the males.  The are trained by their mothers the proper gnome manner to tend to a home.  They are inclined in the arts of weaving, sewing, playing music and singing. 

Young female gnomes are distinguished by their green hats and braided hair.  After marriage they wear plain, camouflage attire and tuck their hair under scarfs and dark colored caps.  When they reach 350 years of age they start growing a light beard. 

Female gnomes always give birth to twins and their pregnancy lasts 12 months at the least.  For most of their lives the women stay close to home and do not wander about like their husbands and brothers.

Behind the Scenes: Gnome Village

Part of gnome week, as you may already know, we dedicated our newsletter to gnomes.  To prepare for this email I built a gnome village out of items we already had on hand at the store.  So here are the rest of the photos that didn't make the email but that are still worth taking a look at.

 Gustav just got done planting his spinach that he "borrowed" from our greenhouse

 This guy is harvesting some mushrooms.  The bright colored mushrooms we have on sale at the store that this gnome sold to us for a pretty steep price.  F.Y.I. don't do business with gnomes, they'll swindle you out of your last penny.

 I'm not sure what this one is up to except daydreaming and smelling the flowers

 

 Always hard a work, this cheerful fellow is always willing to lend a hand.  Right now he's helping pick mushrooms.

The gnome house was just made out of a cardboard box.  I taped the roof together with packaging tape then painted a red roof with shingles.  Then I cut out a few squares for holes so the gnomies would have some windows.  I don't know if you noticed the gnome that is climbing out of the top window.  My guess is he didn't want his parents to know he's sneaking out of the house.

 The clothes line is just a piece of string with paper clothes cut out of different color card stock

 This tree gnome door is one I made for my own garden.  Its layered balsa wood that I painted and used guerrilla glue to stick together.  Then I sealed it with a polyurethane.

 Just waiting for the birds to arrive to share the bird seed with.

                                         

  Swinging from the bird feeder

                                               

These three must have done something bad to one of those nasty Siberian gnomes.  I found them yelling for help locked in the upstairs freezer

  

Here they are huddled together for warmth 

 These ones have already invaded the store and set up camp in our houseplants.  By the end of the day the are in our bulbs, our birdhouses, on our bookcase, you name it, they've colonized it.

Gnome Week: Day 2

Gnome Saying of the Day: "To Gnome me is to love me."
Gnome of the Day:  Aberforth

Aberforth

You might not see this little gnome right away.  He's not as outgoing as some of the other gnomes that live in the yard.  Don't be fooled into thinking he's the shy type.  He's actually an intellectual and prefers reading over conversations.  Before migrating from his home country, Albania, with his slightly older twin brother Albus (description located in Day 1 of Gnome Week) Aberforth was a scholar and spent most of his time at the Library reading every topic from ancient traditions of the gnomes to new developments in working the land.  He teaches the young gnomes of the neighborhood about their rich culture and how to be responsible young adult gnomes by respecting nature and fulfilling their roles as guardians of the animal kingdom.  When he is not teaching he can be found in secluded, quiet spots in the garden where he can reflect on life and study nature without any distractions.  Here, he has a lantern so that he can keep reading after the sun sets on top of this lawn chair/bird bath.  


Gnome Lesson of the Day:  There are Six types of Gnomes

 The most common is the Forest Gnome who rarely comes into contact with man.  His physical appearance resembles that of the ordinary gnome. The Forest gnome is a terrific woodcarver and flute player.  They live in trees and, like other gnomes, can run as fast as 35 miles per hour.

The Garden Gnome lives in gardens and lawns.  His nature is on the somber side, and he rather enjoys telling melancholy tales. If he begins to feel too closed in , he simply goes to the woods. But, as he is quite learned, he sometimes feels out of place there.  In order to keep your gnomes from getting bored provide them with different types of entertainment such as flowers to plant and water, veggie gardens to till, a bird bath to swim in, bird feeders to feed the birds....you get the idea.

Dune Gnomes are slightly larger than their woodland brethren and choose remarkably drab clothing. The men usually dress in gray and the women dress in khaki. 

House Gnomes have the most knowledge of man, often speaking his language. They know the most about mankind and gnome leaders usually tend to be House gnomes for this reason.  The House gnome is good-natured and likes to tease and prank others in a friendly way.

The farm gnome resembles the house gnome but is of a more constant nature and is conservative in all matters.

Siberian Gnomes have been more interbred than other Gnomes and associate freely with trolls. They are much larger than the other types and have an infinitely more nasty nature. It is best never to evoke the ire of such Gnomes for they delight in revenge. In certain regions there is not a single gnome to be trusted.

Gnome Week: Day 1

Today is the first day of Schmidt's Official Gnome Week.  Its our version of Shark Week from the Discovery Channel.  Gnome Week is our way of celebrating the little guys in the garden and their extraordinary work they accomplish that usually goes unnoticed..  Why gnome week?  Well, working at a garden center and seeing all the fantastic gnomes that travel in and out of our store, our staff has become more than a little obsessed with all things gnomes. Its our way of saying thank you for all the joy you bring us.  We decided they deserve their own week so we can explore the complexities that make up this small yet important being.  Its such a special week that I've even added a few extra days.  Heck, gnomes probably run on their own time system so its probably a regular week for them.  During the week of gnomes each day I will bring you information you may or may not gnome (he he) about my special friends in the garden.  Each day will have a gnome saying of the day, I will introduce each one of the gnomes occupying my garden and bring you more information than you thought existed on the subject. 

Gnome week also coincides with the opening of the new animated movie Gnomeo and Juliet.  The story is about two feuding yards between the blue gnomes and the red gnomes.   They come alive when no one is watching  but while they are battling each other two young gnomes fall in love from opposing sides.  The movie opens Friday Feb. 11th.  The Schmidt's staff already has their movie tickets so we can do some serious gnome "research" and report back to you on Saturday. 

Movie Poster

                             

 Gnome Lesson of the Day:  General Gnome Information

For today's lesson I thought I would give some general information about gnomes.  Garden gnomes originated in Germany in the mid 1800's.  They were made of terra cotta and featured conical hats and solid color clothes and wore white beards.  Gnomes are always born as twins.  They have a life span of 400 years.  They are able to smell 19 better than humans and are 7 times as strong. They can predict the weather and have ESP capabilities.  They love to dance and smoke pipe tobacco.  Gnomes are guardians of the animal world and protect and live peacefully among them.  Their enemies include trolls, goblins and cats believe it or not.  Tomorrow I will explore further into the gnome world and give a more detailed description of these garden inhabitants.

Gnome Saying of the Day:  "There's gnome place like home."
Gnome of the Day:  Albus, the gardener


Albus the gardening gnome



Albus is not afraid to get his hands dirty.  As you can see he keeps himself busy bringing in fresh veggies from his garden.  He migrated here from Albania where he was under constant fear of being eaten by a dragon that lived in a cottage cheese cottage and had a sweet tooth for gnomes.  Albus was so petrified of being eaten by this dragon he left his home country with his brother Aberforth (discussed in tomorrow's gnomes) and fled to America.  After settling in Oregon, the older of the brothers, Albus, found he could now relax without fear of always hiding from gnome eating dragons.  He began to spend all of his days outdoors, enjoying his new found freedom and discovered the joys of tilling the earth and growing his own food.  He made many friends right away with his easy going attitude and his willingness to help a friend in need.  He can be found in other parts of the yard helping out the other gnome inhabitants with their own gardens and any miscellaneous projects they have going on.  Once in a while I will even find a basket of fresh veggies at my own door that he has picked and prepared for me.  This is Albus.

A note to readers:  Albus and Aberforth are brothers from another story.  You may have heard of it.  Its quite famous.  Its a book called Harry Potter. I am also a Harry Potter nerd as well as a gnome geek.